I just finished teaching a seminar, Introduction to Research, to first-year doctoral students in my role as Ph.D. Director at Southeastern Seminary. You may enjoy a brief snippet from this two-day seminar in which I shared some random reflections on the seven W’s of writing. For now this is mostly a list of reflection questions; I hope to develop this further in a future publication.

1. Who?

Who are you? Are you writing self-consciously and professedly as a believer? Or are you writing covertly, in a chameleon-like fashion taking on the color of your environment? To other believers, you use fervent Christian language; to critical scholars, you hide behind scholarly jargon?

Who you are is a function of your calling from God, your unique background, your formative experiences, skills and education, expertise, and so on. Ask yourself: What is the contribution God wants you to make that no one else can make? Don’t compare yourself with others. Don’t be competitive. Make the most of the potential God has given you.

2. What?

On what subject do you want to write? What is your passion? What is the message burning in your heart? Is it heresy you want to combat? Is it a doctrine you want to expound? Do you want to educate God’s people? Set some error straight? Alert your readers to some overlooked truth? Unearth some little-known fact or figure?

3. Where?

Where should you do your research and writing? In your home office? At work? Should you go away somewhere? I know people who swap offices with a colleague or use a friend’s apartment while he is at work to get away from the office. How do you avoid distractions and interruptions? How do you make room for larger blocks of time?

4. In what way?

How should you do your research? How should you write? This is what the entire seminar was about. I led the class in a devotional from Luke 1:1–4; we went on a tour of the library; and every student was assigned to read The Craft of Research by Wayne Booth, Gregory Colomb, and Joseph Williams and Style by Joseph Williams.

5. Why?

Why do you want to research and write? To get rich and famous (very unlikely for a theologian or biblical scholar)? To get promoted? Because you’re supposed to? To get recognition for yourself? Or do you want to minister to people and to serve and glorify God? What is it that motivates you and fuels your desire to research and write?

6. When?

When should you write? Should you wait for a sabbatical or for a sudden influx of inspiration? After my return from my first sabbatical, I decided to operate in continual sabbatical mode; I can’t afford to wait for my next sabbatical. If writing is a calling, we will want to pursue that calling. Like Paul, we will say, “Woe to me if I don’t write!”

So, when should you write? To paraphrase Paul once more, “In season and out of season.” This will mean that you will make research and writing a priority. Research and writing take time, effort, and commitment. Determine the amount, and level, of writing God has called you to do, and then commit yourself to follow through and be disciplined.

7. For whom?

Who is your primary audience? Is it your scholarly peers? Your students? You, yourself? Ultimately, your primary audience should be God. You should be writing for him, it is him you should want to please. If you’re writing for your academic peers, you will easily get caught in intramural disputes. But if you write to please God, you will keep your eyes on him.

If you have read these random thoughts up until now, is there any advice you would like to add? Did I forget any W’s? What have you found helpful as you have reflected on your calling as a writer? Or, if you are an aspiring writer, what are your struggles and hopes? Writing is one of my passions, so I’d love to hear from any of you on this topic.

In case anyone was wondering, the reason for my silence over the past as far as blogs is concerned was an extended vacation up north. One of the nice things about a vacation is that you’re able to catch up one some reading. Here is what I read in July:

(1) The Gospel Hoax: Morton Smith’s Invention of Secret Mark by Stephen C. Carlson (Baylor University Press)

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, even fascinating, account of an astounding scholarly hoax perpetrated by Morton Smith on his colleagues. As Stephen Carlson compellingly demonstrates, Smith left several unmistakable clues that show that he forged an alleged ancient manuscript called “Secret Mark.” Why did he do this? and What are the lessons we can learn from the way in which Secret Mark was received by other scholars? I will certainly challenge my future graduate students to ponder the abiding questions raised by this provocative volume.

(2) Misquoting Truth: A Guide to the Fallacies of Bart Ehrman’s Misquoting Jesus by Timothy Paul Jones (IVP)

This is a very helpful refutation of many of the major planks in Bart Ehrman’s misguided project Misquoting Jesus in which this UNC-Chapel Hill professor alleges that the NT manuscripts are unreliable and indeed corrupt. Jones, who holds an Ed.D. and is pastor of a church in Tulsa, OK, provides much helpful basic information that can be used profitably by individuals and churches in equipping believers to deal effectively with the threat posed by Ehrman’s writings.

(3) A pre-publication draft of The Future of Justification by John Piper (due out with Crossway Books)

Here is an endorsement I wrote for this book: “I am very grateful to John Piper, pastor-scholar par excellence, for helping me to understand better the doctrines of justification and imputation. Tom Wright’s interpretation of key biblical passages on the topic has some major problems, and Piper exposes many of them with great wisdom and skill. I share John’s burden that these doctrines be clearly preached in our churches, for the good of God’s people and for God’s greater glory in Christ.”

(4) A High View of Scripture? The Authority of the Bible and the Formation of the New Testament Canon by Craig D. Allert (Baker)

Thus far I only read selected portions of this book, especially those dealing with Robert Gundry’s resignation from the ETS and sections dealing with the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. At the outset of his book, Allert cites an article by Louis Igou Hodges which he considers symptomatic of much evangelical fare on the subject in that it seeks to establish a high view of Scripture deductively from the character of God rather than from how the canon was actually formed. I hope to interact with this volume further in forthcoming publications.

What did you read this summer? I’d love to hear your recommendations and reviews.